Desires of the Dead

A Body Novel

By: Kimberly Derting

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens

Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found. Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally, she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

“First-time novelist Derting has written a suspenseful mystery and sensual love story that will captivate readers who enjoy authentic high-school settings, snappy dialogue, sweet romance, and heart–stopping drama. A real page–turner, this will have readers checking behind themselves and refusing to go anywhere alone.” (Booklist)

©2011 Kimberly Derting (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Love this series.

I really enjoy this series and wish she would write more. I enjoyed learning about more of the psychic abilities and their functional use.

Good story, but....

I am so torn with this series. I like the character of Violet, and the ability to find the dead is interesting, and Violet finds herself in constant turmoil because of it. I am entertained by the story obviously; this is the 2nd book in the series, and I intend to listen to the 3rd and 4th installments as well, so it certainly doesn't suck. However, I think if I had to read to books versus audio, I'd have a harder time finishing the story. Some of the "teenspeak" and conversations between characters is cringeworthy (For example, the term of "throwing up in my mouth' is used often, or maybe it was also used in book 1, but it's overused nonetheless), and other cliched verbiage is used as well, to the point I rolled my eyes and sighed out loud to myself because it was so bad. The friend character of Chelsea is insufferable. She alternates beween being rude to everyone, or sickeningly sweet to get her way (including getting new boyfriend Mike). This behavior is passed off as someone who is just blunt and speaks her mind, but there's another word for her.....rhymes with witch. Two lesser friend characters (Jules, and another whose existence is so unnecessary her name escapes me) do nothing to move the story along and only exist to engage in vapid conversation about tons of nothing and are here only as a means to increase the word count. Jay the boyfriend as always is a guy who doesn't exist in real life, which in YA is basically the point. His only major flaw, which has been toned down from book #1, is that he's overprotective. Other than that, Mr. Perfect still has the attention of all the ladies, including some random waitress this time around. Seriously? Oh, and he creates perfect winter picnics with 'chicken soft tacos and oreos,' Violet's favorite, washed down with sparkling cider a la champagne. Again, no way a teen boy, no matter how badly he wants to get in your pants, is going to do this! Some of the double entendre sex talk between the 2 main characters is clumsy (which I suppose makes sense since their sexual relationship is new) and Jay's constant moans and groans at anything even mildly suggestive of sex is outright annoying. The parallel plot with Vi finding a dead body in a shipping container, a dead cat being left for her, and her eventual recruitment by an FBI profiler (and pseudo interrogation complete with lineup), is good, yet super unbelievable that she tells her parents NONE OF THIS!? Completely unbelievable that all this shit with dead people and a possible psychic investigative team is going on in the background. but the parents are kept in the dark the entire time? Ridiculous. Yet.....I keep reading, because despite all the flaws, the story regarding Vi's talent is entertaining. So I'm torn. I can't help but enjoy it, even as I'm ticking off all that's wrong with it as the narrative goes on.

like nothing I've read before

Nothing like I've read before excellent st I ry, diffrent from the plan fantasy stories.

Interesting Idea but.....

The author came up with a good premise but ruined it with teen romance. Another author making it seem that teen sex is normal and just a choice. Wasn't needed for the story and actually detracts from the whole. The narrator didn't help.

Just awful! Pre-teen bodice clutcher.

Don't waste a credit or your time on this awful attempt at copying what Charlaine Harris has already done so well. If the idea of locating dead bodies interests you, check out Ms. Harris' Harper Connelly stories, but don't bother with this mess of a book.

Not all all believable and horrible narration

I would really like to give this book 1 1/2 stars. The plot, by itself, could have made for a fantastic book. However, there was just too much suspension of disbelief required to take this book seriously and I couldn't do it. With a boyfriend, family members, and FBI associate to help her, Violet always decided to go on murder mystery adventures by herself. It wasn't possible to believe this. Too bad - I really liked the first novel.

Narration: Again, this book has horrible narration. The narrator doesn't know how to differentiate voices nor make realistic male voice. In addition to all the voices sounding the same, the male voices sounded like oafs. Please use a different narrator for the third novel.